- The 8th Meeting of the Korea-Germany Cooperation Committee on Science and Industrial Technology (KGCCSIT) Held
- Expansion of cooperation in advanced S&T, including nuclear fusion, synthetic biology and biotechnology, batteries, semiconductors, and robotics
The Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT; Deputy Prime Minister and Minister Bae Kyunghoon) announced that it held the eighth Korea-Germany Cooperation Committee on Science and Industrial Technology (KGCCSIT) on Wednesday, March 11, at the Seoul Central Post Office, together with the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources (MOTIR) and the German Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR).
The KGCCSIT was launched in 2007 as an intergovernmental consultative body based on the Korea-Germany Science and Technology Cooperation Agreement signed in 1986. Integrating corporate-led committees previously managed independently by the MSIT and MOTIR into a comprehensive government-led committee, the KGCCSIT has held meetings on a regular basis since its launch.
The eighth KGCCSIT meeting was attended by Hwang Sung-hoon, Director General of the International Cooperation Bureau at the MSIT, and Sandra Lehneke, Deputy Director-General for International and European Affairs at the BMFTR, who served as the heads of their respective delegations. The Korean delegation included the MSIT, MOTIR, the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF), the Institute of Information & Communications Technology Planning & Evaluation (IITP), the Korea Institute for Advancement of Technology (KIAT), the Korean Academy of Science and Technology (KAST), the Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine (KIOM), the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI), the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), and Korea University. The German delegation included the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR), the Aerospace Research Center (DLR-PT), the Leopoldina National Academy of Sciences, the Fraunhofer Society (FhG), the Max Planck Society (MPG), the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), and the German Embassy in Korea.
Both countries shared the achievements made in their science and technology cooperation as well as their respective science and technology policies. They discussed measures to expand cooperation in advanced science and technology, such as fusion energy, synthetic biology and biotechnology, batteries, semiconductors, and robotics.
First, as this year marks the 40th anniversary of signing the bilateral science and technology cooperation agreement, the two nations reviewed the achievements of their partnership. Key milestones shared included the Green Hydrogen Project, collaboration with the Fraunhofer Society, and the results of joint symposium held between the Korean Academy of Science and Technology (KAST) and the German Leopoldina National Academy of Sciences.
Both sides highlighted tangible business outcomes – such as overseas sales and joint R&D – achieved by Korean SMEs whose technologies were validated in Germany through the PoC program between Korea Science and Technology holdings (KST) and the Fraunhofer Society.
They also noted a successful case of technology commercialization: through joint R&D conducted from 2017 to 2020, Korea University and EMST (formerly FINETECH) successfully developed and commercialized zeolite membrane technology, presenting a leading model of industry-academia-research cooperation.
* EMST acquired the technology from Korea University and successfully localized and commercialized membranes that purify biogas to produce high-purity energy, and is expanding into global markets including the United States and Europe.
Following the sharing of outcomes, both sides also discussed cooperation in key advanced science and technology areas. In nuclear fusion, Korea and Germany will expand research cooperation by utilizing their respective fusion devices – KSTAR and ASDEX-U – including validating plasma operation scenarios in tungsten environments, one of the key challenges in fusion energy. They also plan to cooperate on the development of advanced fusion divertors.
* Research on maintaining stable high-temperature plasma in a tungsten-wall environment
** A device that removes impurities generated by ultra-high-temperature plasma and protects the vacuum vessel from intense heat flux
In synthetic biology, building on Korea’s AI-based bio design capabilities and Germany’s world-class basic science, both sides discussed cooperation among leading institutions – including Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology, (KRIBB), Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Max Planck Society and Helmholtz Association – in areas such as biofoundries, green biotechnology and sustainable, high value-added biomanufacturing. Germany also shared its strategy for fostering the battery industry and proposed joint research, thereby opening the door to cooperation in the battery sector.
* A research support facility that standardizes, accelerates and automates the design-build-test-learn cycle in synthetic biology
In addition, both sides identified concrete avenues for cooperation among research institutes. The Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine (KIOM) agreed to jointly develop AI-based predictive algorithms for neurodegenerative diseases with German partners. The Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI) and the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Polymer Research (IAP) agreed to engage in international joint research in green bionic semiconductors through researcher exchanges and joint project planning.
The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) emphasized the need to develop physical AI-based autonomous manufacturing robots that leverage the respective strengths of Korea and Germany, and presented strategic cooperation directions to gain a competitive edge in future industries.
To translate these discussions into tangible outcomes, both sides agreed to advance joint research in earnest. To this end, the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) plans to launch a call for proposals for new Korea-Germany joint research projects in 2027, while the Institution of Information and Communications Technology Planning and Evaluation (IITP) proposed establishing joint research road maps and cooperation frameworks with Germany in areas such as AI and 6G.
The Korea Institute for Advancement of Technology (KIAT) will further strengthen existing cooperation in robotics and semiconductors, while promoting joint R&D in new strategic technologies and expanding cooperation into additional sectors, including advanced materials and batteries.
Hwang Sunghoon, Director General for International Cooperation at MSIT, stated: “Building on the trust we have established over the past 40 years, we hope Korea-Germany cooperation will evolve beyond individual research projects into a strategic partnership that jointly addresses global challenges. We will also make every effort to ensure that the outcomes of this Committee are implemented without delay and serve as a new driving force for advancing science and technology in both countries.“
For further information, please contact the Public Relations Division (Phone: +82-44-202-4034, E-mail: msitmedia@korea.kr) of the Ministry of Science and ICT.
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